Reassurance
by dear.lilan
Summary: Very much AU. Zuko gets braces and Mai makes him feel better about it.
1. Chapter 1

Zuko took a breath before smashing the pot in his small desk. He sat on his bed and put his head between his hands.

Agni, his teeth hurt.

The prince had gone to the Fire Nation's best orthodontist earlier that day.

He didn't think the braces were a big deal. Of course, he knew they would most likely be uncomfortable for a while, and it would take some getting used to. Also, there was his appearance. He'd stop caring so much about that after he got his scar, but somehow, that scar symbolised the fight in him. A warrior's scar. The braces would be a lot different, and Zuko was afraid that it would make him look much younger, or make him look like a nerd.

The procedure wasn't so bad until it was halfway done. It actually felt nice when the assistant removed the spacers wedged between his upper and lower molars, that had been causing so much discomfort for the past days. After that, metal bands were attached to his rear teeth, and square brackets were glued to each of his teeth. The orthodontist stopped for a bit and told Zuko to take a break, drink some water, and the assistant handed him a mirror so he could take a look at the work done so far.

Zuko grimaced as he found out the brackets were much more noticeable that he thought they would be. He clenched and unclenched his teeth, and was relieved as he barely felt pain. Deciding not to think much of it, he sat back in the chair, so that the doctor could continue.

Next was the archwire. The orthodontist placed a stainless steel wire, sliding it in the tubes on the bands placed on the molars. 'What color would you like for your rubber bands?' The boy seemed to think for a bit before asking for red ones. After all, since most if his clothes were red, and red was the Fire Nation's color, why not go ahead and make it match?

The worst part started when the rubber bands were applied, one by one. Zuko's teeth felt tight, and the pressure in his mouth was increasing fast. The assistant tugged a small part of the archwire to see if it was tight enough. Apparently, it was not, because after that, Zuko only felt a jolt of pain on his upper jaw as the pressure increased dramatically. He groaned in pain when he felt the same being done on his lower jaw.

After two hours, Zuko was finally back to the Palace. The actual pain from the braces was finally settling in, and he had a feeling it would get a lot worse later. Locking the door in his room, he tried to calm himself down before taking a look at the mirror.

Immediately after the first glance he looked away, frowning.

It looked so much worse than before.

Now with the red rubber bands holding the archwire, Zuko's teeth were barely visible. He turned to the mirror once again, with his mouth closed. Because of the brackets, his lips bulged out more than they should, creating a pout like lower lip, and the whole area around his mouth seemed to stick out a little. Zuko attempted a smile, hissing as one of the wires cut the inside of his cheek. The braces did make him look younger than his fourteen years. He _hated_ it.


	2. Chapter 2

Firelord Ozai sat at the end of the dinner table. On the right side of the table there was Azula, Zuko's sister, her friend Mai and General Iroh, Ozai's older brother. On the left, sat Zuko, Ty Lee, Azula's other friend and Mai's mother. Mai's father was on the other end of the big table, facing Ozai.

The servants brough the food, and the dinner looked delicious. It was bittersweet pork, and Zuko would normally be happy because of seeing one of his favorite foods. But not today though. In just a few hours, the pain in his gums and teeth went from stable to nagging and then to almost unbearable, and just the mere thought of actually biting into food made his stomach churn.

So for a while, he just kept his mouth shut, playing with the food in his plate, as everyone else ate, listening to Azula describe one of the new firebending moves.

But Zuko wasn't really lucky and Ozai noticed. 'Zuko, is something wrong? Why aren't you eating?'

The eyes of everyone in the table turned to him and he felt his cheeks flush.

'Um... I-I'm not that hungry.' Zuko stammered with a slight lisp. Iroh smiled understandingly and turned to his brother.

'It's because of the braces. The boy's gotta be in pain.' He informed. 'Maybe some tea would help.'

Ozai smirked. 'Right.' But Zuko didn't care about his father's reaction. Now that Azula knew, she would use every opportunity she could to tease him, and he'd never hear the end of it. And sure enough, she was now eyeing him with an amused look on her face.

'Have I heard right?' She asked for no one in particular, faking surprise. 'You got braces?' Azula laughed loudly, and Zuko could only look down. 'Oh, Agni, this can't get any better! What should we call him now? Braceface is way too mainstream...' She faked a thinking expression. 'Oh, I know! What about Zuzu, the Orthodontic Firefail?!'

'Shut up Azula!' Zuko got up angrily, slamming his fists on the table.

'Come on Lispy, don't be so sensitive.' Azula smirked. 'They look pretty ridiculous on you anyway.' Zuko threw his chair to the floor as he got up in a short move and stormed out of the room before Iroh could say anything.

'There was no need to do that, Azula.' A raspy voice rose from the right. It was Mai.

She was the calmest of the three friends, and also the most gloomy and pessimist, but Zuko and her got along pretty well and seemed to enjoy each other's company very much.

'Come on Mai, I was just having some fun.' Azula grinned. 'And did you see it? His teeth looked even more awful, and I didn't think it was possible!'

'Princess Azula, have more respect for your brother.' Iroh said. She only seemed offended, but continued to eat dinner anyway.

'Should anyone check on Zuko?' Ty Lee asked. Iroh smiled wisely.

'Let's give him some time to cool down. The Prince probably wants to be alone.'

Zuko lay on his bed, curling into his stomach. Moaning in misery, he stuck two fingers in his mouth to massage his gums, in an attempt to stop the pain. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working.

That was how Mai found him an hour later, when she got in the room. Zuko, surprised, immediately sat up and straightened his clothes. Mai sat at the edge of the bed quietly.

'Are you okay?' She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm fine.' Zuko was looking down and had one hand placed in front if his mouth, and she noticed that.

'Why do you try to hide them, Zuko? You can't keep your mouth shut forever.'

'I can do whatever I want!' He snapped, getting up from the bed. Mai sighed.

'Do they hurt a lot?' She asked, and Zuko was calm enough to sit back down.

'Yeah, a little.' He lied. The pressure seemed to be increasing, he could actually feel the teeth move inside his mouth.

Mai didn't believe. 'A little pain wouldn't keep you away from bittersweet pork.' She said. Zuko lay on his back, and she moved closer to him, her tighs touching his shoulder. 'From one to ten, how bad is it?'

'Five.' He sighed. Mai smiled simpatheticly.

'What does it feel like?'

'I don't know. Like my teeth are being ripped out? It's agony to even clench my jaws. And it looks awful.' Zuko wouldn't tell that to anyone if he could. But Mai was his best friend, and besides the sharing ritual best friends do, it felt good to have someone to talk to.

'Don't think about what Azula said.' Mai closed the distance between them, and Zuko moved his head to her tighs. 'She'll probably need braces too.'

The boy tilted his head back, trying to look at Mai properly. 'Really? Why do you say that?'

'I've heard some stuff around.' She stated. 'That and Azula burned paintings in her room while screaming 'You can't make me wear braces! I don't need them! I am princess Azula from the Fire Nation and I won't tolerate this!''

Zuko laughed, but quickly remembered to cover his mouth with his hand. Mai sighed.

'They're not that bad, Zuko.' She ran a hand trough his long hair.

'I emhate/em them.'

'I think you look cute.' Zuko looked surprised and felt the blood run up to his cheeks.

'What? What do you mean?'

'The braces give you kind of a dorky look.' She explained. 'I like it.'

'Oh... Um... Thanks I guess.' Zuko fidgeted as he looked down.

'How long do you have to wear them?' Mai asked.

'A year or so I think.'

'That's not so bad.' Mai said. 'Most people need them for two years or longer.'

Zuko sighed. 'It's still a lot.'

'In just a year, you'll have beautiful teeth.' She played with his hair. 'If you hate your braces so much, try to focus on that.'

'Yeah, but I'll look hideous for a whole year.' He leaned against Mai's hands. Mai shook her head.

'I'm telling you Zuko, they're not that bad. Maybe you just need to get used to them.' She said. 'And the pain will probable wear off in a few days. Just give it time.' She said softly.

Zuko sighed, his head leaning against Mai's touch. She had her hands tangled in his long hair, and the contact actually brought some comfort.

'It's getting a bit late, Zuko.'

He said nothing, but he got up and started undoing his red robe, leaving him with just his underwear. Mai looked a little confused at first, but when Zuko lay down again and covered himself with the blankets, his back facing her, she seemed to know what to do. Taking off her dress, she stood with only her underwear, and then climbed to the bed next to Zuko. As she got closer, she wrapped her left arm around him, her hand on his stomach, and the other on his back.

Zuko showed a small smile. 'Thanks Mai. For being here.'


End file.
